EB-5---the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrant Investor Program---was created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by immigrant investors by creating a new commercial enterprise or investing in a troubled business. There are 10,000 EB-5 immigrant visas available annually. In 1992 and regularly reauthorized since then, 3,000 EB-5 visas are also set aside for investors in Regional Centers designated by DHS's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) based on proposals for promoting economic growth.

There are two distinct EB-5 pathways for an immigrant investor to gain lawful permanent residence for themselves and their immediate family—the Basic Program and the Regional Center Pilot Program. Both programs require that the immigrant make a capital investment of either $500,000 or $1,000,000 (depending on whether the investment is in a Targeted Employment Area) in a new commercial enterprise located within the United States. TEA is defined by law as a rural area or an area that has high unemployment.

The new commercial enterprise must create or preserve 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers within two years (or under certain circumstances, within a reasonable time after the two year period) of the immigrant investor's admission to the United States as a Conditional Permanent Resident (CPR).

The program nationwide has generated close to $2 billion in foreign investment in U.S. businesses.

About the UND Center for Innovation:

The UND Center for Innovation is a division of the UND College of Business and Public Administration that provides assistance to innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers to launch new ventures, commercialize new technologies, and secure access to capital from private and public sources. The Center was among the first entrepreneur outreach centers in the nation when formed in 1984.